


Winning Them Over (Thomas Jefferson X Reader)

by Riverthunder



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alexander loves to be a jerk, Disneyland, F/M, Hamilsquad Uncles, He loves penguins though, Laurens lets him, M/M, Reader is a Mom, Thomas is afraid of snakes, Twins, aquarium
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-12-05
Packaged: 2018-08-24 09:31:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8367235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riverthunder/pseuds/Riverthunder
Summary: Thomas is in love with (Y/N), and wants to be in a more serious relationship with her. However, to do so, he has to win over her twin children. Her daughter, Althea, won't be hard- she likes everyone, and Thomas spoiling her certainly doesn't hurt. However, Althea's twin brother Andre will be a challenge, as he's decided he hates Thomas before meeting him. Thomas tries everything from Disneyland to aquariums to make Andre like him, but these solutions don't seem to be what Andre needs to like his mother's boyfriend. Hopefully Thomas can figure it out before (Y/N) decides their relationship won't work.





	1. Disneyland

**Author's Note:**

> Please send me comments and/or requests, they encourage me to continue writing and posting. I'd like to continue posting here but if no one says anything I start to lose motivation.
> 
> I am the original writer of this fic, originally known as hamilton-fics-for-all on tumblr. I have no intention of returning to that site. Please do not post my work there. You are, however, free to let others know where I am, and that I will be posting fics here from now on.
> 
> Length: 1954 Words  
> Genre: Romance, Family, Cute  
> AU: Modern  
> Pairings: Thomas Jefferson X Reader, Alexander Hamilton X John Laurens  
> Warnings: None, I don't even swear in this chapter (a miracle I promise you)  
> Triggers?: None, unless you're triggered by twin children for some reason in which case I advise you leave. Trust me you'll thank me.  
> Requester: None, this was for my own amusement  
> Request: Me: Imagine Thomas trying to get an angry five year old to like him. Ah, a plot bunny has been born. Hello, I'll call you Warren.  
> Request Status: OPEN (please send me requests, I need some ideas.)  
> A/N: I hope you all enjoy this, I enjoy writing it. Not sure when it will end but eh, shouldn't be more than five chapters.

“Are you really sure you want to do this?”

“More than anything.”

“Thomas, I really don't want you to feel pressured or anything.”

“I don't feel pressured! It sounds fun!”

“Are you really sure you're okay with this?”

“Sure! I really wanna meet your kids, (Y/N).”

You eyed Thomas suspiciously. You'd been dating for about three months, but you were reluctant to call him your boyfriend or significant other yet, seeing as he'd never even met your twins. He knew about them, of course, but you were far too protective of your little ones to introduce them to any of your dates too quickly.

In all honesty, Thomas seemed like the best man out of everyone you’d dated in recent years. He was kind, intelligent, funny, confident, and had qualities that you thought might be good for your twins’ future father figure, such as patience and a willingness to listen and help. He did have a fantastic ego and amazing arrogance, but even then you couldn't help but admire his high self esteem.

“Well…. Okay.”

“Meet you at the entrance?”

“Alright, but I'm paying for the tickets.”

“You will not.”

“Thomas, I will fight you.”

“Good.” He gave you a cocky grin. “You're cute when you're pissed.”

~(*)~

“Andre, please turn off the movie and put your shoes on.”

“I don't wanna.”

“What, you don't want to go to Disneyland?”

“Uh uh.”

You sighed to yourself as you helped Althea style her hair. “Andre, please just put your shoes on.”

“Momma, is Mr. Thomas nice?” your daughter asked.

“Yes, honey,” you said patiently as you dug around in a drawer for Althea’s favorite hair tie while she played with her doll’s dress sleeve.

“Are we bringing snacks, Momma?”

“Of course. Anything in particular you have in mind?”

“I want cupcakes,” Andre called.

“Those will get smashed in the backpack,” you told him kindly. “If you're good you can have a cupcake when we get home, okay?”

“Fine,” Andre grumbled. You sighed.

You weren't sure why Andre was so much more angry and bitter than his sister- perhaps it was because he was lacking more fatherly affection in his life. He’d never known his father- as soon as your former flame had found out you were pregnant he had run off and left you to care for the twins on your own. You'd considered chasing him for child support and forcing him to acknowledge the two but never went through with it. You honestly didn't think he was worth such an effort on your part.

While you did have your four friends, Alexander Hamilton, John Laurens, Hercules Mulligan, and the Marquis de Lafayette, to act as male role models in Andre’s life, it hadn’t done much to help his anger. You weren't sure if that was because they were all just “uncles” or because was angry that his father had left him before he was born. Either way, Andre was angry. His teachers at school would tell you about how he avoided other boys and seemed miserable, how his art and writing made them worried. You'd talked to the counselor about him but his only solutions were you having Andre spend more time with his aforementioned uncles or for you to settle down with someone. Andre couldn't really spend more time with his uncles than he already did, and you couldn't really just settle down with anyone, so you'd been at a loss for any solution to how to help your son. You wanted him to be happier, but you wanted the father figure in his life to be a good fit, someone you could trust to help you instill good values in your son and protect him.

Of course, it wasn't all about Andre. Althea could use a good male role model in her life, too- a father figure to show her how someone should treat someone they love. You obviously weren't sure your daughter would end up being interested in men, but still, your relationships would eventually show her how she should expect to be treated. Since none of her uncles were currently in relationships (although you were fairly certain there was something between Alexander and John), you hoped that if you got into a serious relationship it would have a positive effect on her as well.

Finally, the twins were dressed in comfortable clothes with good walking shoes and you had a backpack with snacks, water, and a first aid kit, just in case.

When you finally arrived at Disneyland, it was about 10:00 AM. You saw Thomas standing at the entrance as you walked towards it.

“Hi, (Y/N).”

“Hello, Thomas.” Althea and Andre hid behind you, eyeing him distrustfully.

“Hi,” Thomas said kindly, bending down to the kids’ level and smiling at them. “What are your names?”

“I’m Althea,” your daughter said shyly.

“ _Althea_. What a beautiful name for a beautiful young lady,” Thomas told her. Your daughter giggled in response. “And what about you, little buddy?”

Andre didn't answer.

“That's Andre,” you said, after giving him a few moments to introduce himself.

“Well, it's nice to meet you, Andre,” Thomas said sincerely.

“Mr. Thomas?” Althea asked, peeking around your legs.

“Yes, little one?”

“Will you ride the Winnie the Pooh ride with me, please?”

Thomas gave your daughter a look of complete surprise. “Me? You'd like _me_ to ride the Winnie the Pooh ride with you? What an honor!”

Althea giggled at him. “Momma, Mr. Thomas is funny!”

“He certainly is,” you agreed, digging around in your bag for your wallet.

“Beat you to it,” Thomas grinned, holding up two adult and two child passes into the park.

You smacked him lightly with a couple of receipts. “I said I was paying.”

“Still beat you.”

You shook your head, urging the twins forward and following Thomas’s lead towards the park.

~(*)~

The day was turning out to be even more fun than you had expected. Thomas and Althea were especially enjoying themselves. You'd gone on the Winnie the Pooh ride (Althea had promptly demanded to go again, to Andre’s horror and Thomas’s amusement), the Dumbo ride, the Haunted Mansion, and the Indiana Jones ride. The latter two had been a bit too nerve-wracking for Althea’s tastes, so now you were taking a small walk break before going back to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

Suddenly, Althea began tugging on your arm. “Momma! Momma! Look! It's Belle!”

You looked up. Sure enough, Althea’s favorite princess had appeared and was beginning to take pictures with all the kids gathering around her. Some had Disneyland autograph books she was signing.

“Want to go get in line to say hi?” You asked. “I'll take your picture.”

“Pretty please?” Althea begged.

“This is stupid,” Andre muttered. “I wanna go home and beat Uncle Alex, Uncle John and Uncle Herc at video games.”

“Andre, please, be nice to your sister,” you sighed when Althea gave her brother a heartbroken look.

“You three go get in line,” Thomas said. “I'll just pop into this shop really quick.”

You didn't think much of it as you ushered the twins towards the line. Perhaps Thomas was getting annoyed with the hot California sun and had decided he'd rather subject himself to a cheesy park hat rather than walk around with sun in his eyes for the rest of the day.

However, he surprised you when he came back out, offering the twins each an autograph book.

Althea’s was gold with a matching gold pen and Disney princesses on the cover while Andre’s was dark blue with a matching pen and a sorcerer Mickey Mouse.

Althea’s eyes widened as she stared at the little book.

“Now you can get her autograph too,” Thomas said happily.

Althea squealed. “Thank you Mr. Thomas! Momma, Momma, look!”

Andre just stared at his book and didn't say a word.

~(*)~

You spent the rest of the morning riding rides and getting autographs and pictures of all the twins’ favorite characters. Althea was still more enthusiastic than Andre, but even he couldn't deny he was very excited to see Tigger.

Eventually noon rolled around and Andre was still unhappy. You couldn't help wondering if that was less to do with Thomas and more to do with the fact you'd only been riding rides that were more Althea-friendly. Usually when you came to the park it was with Alex and the others, so you'd stay with Althea while the others took Andre on the fast-paced rides whose very names made Althea look sick and uncomfortable.

You watched as Althea and Thomas got of their It’s a Small World boat. Thomas looked a bit annoyed. “I'm not getting that song out of my head for a week,” you heard him mutter.

“Can we go again?” Althea promptly asked, turning to look at him with her big puppy dog eyes. “Please, Mr. Thomas?”

“Let's go!” Thomas said, all trace of annoyance gone and replaced by excitement.

“Before you go,” you said quickly, putting a hand on Thomas’s shoulder, “I wanted to ask you, would you mind taking Andre on Space Mountain and Splash Mountain? They're his favorites but Althea’s scared of them.”

“Sure! First, though, I have to take a trip around the world with little Miss Althea. We're having tea in France at three, you see,” Thomas told you in a falsely serious tone that made your daughter squeal with laughter.

“Oh, of course,” you said, playing along. “My apologies. Do tell King Louis XIV hello for me, won't you?”

“The Sun King will be sure to get the message,” Thomas replied, leading Althea off to another boat.

~(*)~

The day was finally starting to draw to a close. You were holding Althea in your arms while she clutched the Cheshire Cat plush Thomas had purchased for her earlier. She yawned and rested her head on the plush, smiling kitty’s back, mumbling “Sorry, Jeffs.”

Thomas had purchased Andre a plush too- specifically one of Tramp, whose head was poking out of your backpack.

You were currently heading over to Splash Mountain where Thomas had texted you saying they would be. He'd taken Andre on most of the other rides, focusing on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, and other roller coaster type rides. Splash Mountain was the last ride of the day, mainly because Thomas didn't think Andre wanted to wander around in cold, wet clothes for very long.

When you arrived, you were disappointed to see your plan to try and get Andre to like Thomas had clearly failed. Thomas was soaking wet and looked a bit like a sad puppy. Andre, on the other hand, was equally soaked, but had an expression on his face as if Thomas had murdered his entire family with a cucumber.

“Hey, guys,” you said, trying to sound upbeat and cheery. “Have fun?”

“Well, I did,” Thomas said, looking at Andre. “What about you, little buddy?”

Andre didn't answer for a moment before muttering, “I hate Disneyland,” and walking over to you.

You sighed. “Andre-”

“That's okay,” Thomas said quickly to you. “Disneyland is kinda overrated.”

You stared at him.

~(*)~

“I'm really sorry about Andre’s attitude,” you apologized after buckling the kids into their car seats. “I don't know what's up with him.”

“It's fine,” Thomas replied. “I'm sure it's just because he's not used to me. Maybe he wasn't in a roller coaster mood. What else does he like?”

You blinked. “Well, he likes the aquarium-”

“Great!” Thomas interrupted you. “Maybe we can try that next Saturday.”

Without waiting for you to respond, Thomas kissed you on the cheek, then tapped the glass of Althea’s window and waved goodbye to the twins before heading off to his own car.


	2. Aquarium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas, (Y/N), and Andre go to the aquarium, where they encounter fish, snakes, penguin chicks, and someone very dear to Andre, Marina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to apologize for how long it's taken me to update this. I was planning to post this chapter when I finally felt able to start on the third chapter, as I've had this sitting around for a while, but I can't seem to find any inspiration to write anything, which is kind of freaking me out to be honest. I'm hoping I'll be able to after I finish up this semester in college but I'm not too sure. 
> 
> Anyway there's another fic that's been kind of in the works so if I can get to that before this, hopefully a pretty long and complete story will tide you all over while I figure this mess out.
> 
> Please send me comments and/or requests, they encourage me to continue writing and posting. I'd like to continue posting here but if no one says anything I start to lose motivation.
> 
> I am the original writer of this fic, originally known as hamilton-fics-for-all on tumblr. I have no intention of returning to that site. Please do not post my work there. You are, however, free to let others know where I am, and that I will be posting fics here from now on.
> 
> Length: 2883 Words  
> Genre: Romance, Family, Cute  
> AU: Modern  
> Pairings: Thomas Jefferson X Reader, Alexander Hamilton X John Laurens  
> Warnings: Minor swearing, snakes, penguins  
> Triggers?: None, unless you're triggered by twin children or snakes.  
> Requester: None, this was for my own amusement  
> Request: Me: Imagine Thomas trying to get an angry five year old to like him. Ah, a plot bunny has been born. Hello, I'll call you Warren.  
> Request Status: OPEN (please send me requests, I need some ideas.)  
> A/N: I hope you all enjoy this, I enjoy writing it. Not sure when it will end but eh, shouldn't be more than five chapters.

You were busy pouring popcorn into a bowl while Andre and Althea say in the living room with their four uncles.

 

The group had agreed to watch Althea while you and Thomas took Andre to the aquarium. It was an activity Althea didn't much care for- sharks, octopuses, and stingrays all scared her, and there weren't really any fish that particularly excited her, so it was best to have her sit this trip out. She didn't mind- Hercules had brought over a new dress for her, so she was probably going to rope the group into a tea party once you left.

 

“I can't believe this!” Andre yelled as his video game go-kart passed Alexander’s. “Thomas is such a fancy suck up. Momma’s way too good for him.”

 

“Agreed,” said Laurens and Alexander together.

 

“His hair is stupid.”

 

“The stupidest,” Laurens nodded wisely.

 

“And he looks bad in pink.”

 

“He looks like a giant stick of raspberry bubblegum in all that pink,” Alexander grumbled.

 

“And all he does is make goo-goo eyes at Momma and spoil Althea and try to make me like him! I hate him!”

 

“You have no idea, little dude,” Alexander told him, leaning to the left as if that would help his kart stay on the track. “Thomas Jefferson is the biggest di-”

 

“AHEM,” you interrupted, leaning into the living room from the kitchen and glaring daggers into Alexander’s back.

 

Alexander jumped at the sound of your voice. “I mean…. A huge disappointment of a human being,” he saved quickly.

 

“Nice,” Laurens said, smirking.

 

“Smooth,” Lafayette told him sarcastically, not looking up from Althea’s pastry cookbook he'd been flipping through.

 

“Well, here you go,” you said as the video game race ended, placing a bowl of popcorn next to Alexander and John. “Remember, Althea picks the movie you watch. If you want to eat anything else it's in the pantry. If you decide to go out, this time she has to go with you or someone has to stay here.”

 

“Or you idiots could just wake me up if you decide to leave,” Lafayette muttered darkly.

 

Once, you'd left the twins with your friends while you went to a doctor’s appointment. Alexander, John, and Hercules had all decided that they wanted snacks that weren't in your pantry, so they took Andre with them and left Althea behind, thinking it would be fine since Lafayette was still there, even though he was sleeping. When they got back, a very angry Lafayette was tending to an injured Althea, who fell off a chair trying to get a drink of water out of the fridge. He'd chewed the other three out for not waking him before you got home, and you'd joined in, furious that your baby had bruised her side and bitten her lip in her fall.

 

“Andre and I should be home around seven. Sound good?”

 

“Of course, mon ami! Go have fun. We’ll have treats for you when you get back,” Lafayette smiled. “I'll make some macarons for Andre if he behaves.”

 

“....Fine,” Andre mumbled, conceding with the promise of his favorite cookies.

 

“Come on, kiddo,” you said, taking Andre’s hand and leading him out to your car. 

 

You buckled him into his seat and headed to the aquarium.

 

~(*)~

 

When you pulled into the aquarium parking lot, Thomas came outside. “I've got the tickets paid for,” he told you cheerfully, before holding them out to Andre. “Want to hold them?”

 

Andre stared at the three tickets. Usually he demanded to keep them, since they had beautiful pictures of various ocean life on them (this time they sported an octopus, a sea turtle, and a river   
otter, a recent addition to the aquarium). “No,” Andre mumbled, though you could tell he was tempted.

 

Thomas seemed to know too. After the worker at the front tore the tickets slightly in the middle to indicate they'd been used, Thomas slipped them into the pocket of his magenta coat, rather than tossing them in the trash as many other patrons were quick to do.

 

“Where first?” Thomas asked.

 

Unlike other aquariums, this one was large and housed more than just fish. It also catered to insects and penguins, otters, and birds- anything that related in some way to a watery ecosystem.

 

“Rain forest!” Andre yelled, lunging for the door. The exhibit didn't only house some of Andre’s favorite creatures (including an assortment of snakes and frogs), but also had a second level that one could get to with the help of a rope bridge, which Andre loved.

 

“What kind of weird aquarium is this?” Thomas asked, as you came face to face with Ricky and Jewel, the two ducks who swam in the pond in front of the entrance with no enclosure of any kind surrounding it. Small children were tossing bits of food to them and cooing at the tiny fish swimming beneath the ducks’ webbed feet.

 

You just shrugged in response as Andre pressed his face against the glass of a large tank, housing about five snakes according to the plaque. They weren't very large and it was hard to see them- the tank was filled with plants to give them a home similar to their real habitat.

 

“I see one,” Andre called loudly, making other kids run to his side.

 

“Where?”

 

“By the branch up there.”

 

“Cool!”

 

The children jostled each other impatiently for a better look at the reptile.

 

Thomas didn't look exactly thrilled. You suspected he may have a slight fear of snakes, but you didn't say anything or try to persuade him to come closer.

 

“I wanna go see that big anaconda after the rope bridge,” Andre announced, turning away from the tank to head up the stairs.

 

Thomas stared at the rope bridge, clearly not trusting it to support Andre by himself, let alone Thomas or the group of them. “Big…. Anaconda?” He gave you a look that screamed discomfort. He looked a bit green.

 

~(*)~

 

“Now, does anyone have any questions about our river otters?”

 

You, Thomas, and the other parents were all standing at the back of the room next to some tanks housing various North American insects and reptiles. The children were seated up around the river otter exhibit, watching the three creatures swim and run around their enclosure.

 

Andre raised his hand.

 

“Yes, the boy in the green shirt,” the woman speaking said, pointing at your son.

 

“How do you know which one is which?” Andre asked as one of the otters tackled another, knocking them both into the pool of water beside them. The children laughed at the otters swam off.

 

“That's pretty easy for us, but it's an excellent question for those who don't work with them every day,” the woman replied, moving a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear. “As previously discussed there are three otters, and they're all…?”

 

“Brothers!” The children shouted in unison.

 

“Right! Brothers. The biggest otter is Rupert, who also has a lighter chest than the other two. Radcliffe is the second biggest and has the lightest pelt overall pelt. And finally, Watson is the smallest, and has the darkest fur of the three.”

 

The children stared at the otters as they paddled away.

 

“Any other questions?”

 

Thomas raised his hand, surprising you and the woman speaking.

 

“Um, yes, sir?”

 

“How long can they hold their breath, exactly?” He asked, watching the otters twirling beneath the water. “They don't seem to need to come up for air as often as I would have suspected.”

 

Andre turned ever so slight to look behind him at Thomas.

 

“Oh! Excellent question!” The woman beamed, turning back to the otters. Andre quickly turned his attention back to her and the otters. “They can hold their breath for up to eight minutes at a time, and shut their nostrils and ears tightly to prevent water from getting inside.”

 

“Fascinating,” Thomas said, as Watson’s head finally broke the surface of the water. “What astounding little creatures.”

 

Watson shook his head as if to clear the water from around his eyes before diving under once again.

 

“If there are no more questions then, that's the end of the presentation,” the woman said. “But you're free to continue watching the otters playing.”

 

Andre stood and, without so much as glancing at Thomas, headed off for another exhibit.

 

~(*)~

 

“It's weird that an aquarium has a penguin exhibit,” Thomas told you as you walked up the wooden bridge leading to the Arctic Adventure. Unlike the other exhibits, this one required you go through a snowy setup in the room that lead to the penguins, which sported silly signs indicating which way to go to reach the other exhibits, a wooden staircase leading to the door of the exhibit (which had a cabin painted on it), and rainbow Christmas lights strung around every surface all year long.

 

“I suppose,” you said calmly, and slightly distractedly, checking your phone. Alexander was letting you know he and Hercules had gone out to get more candy, and assuring you Lafayette was awake and watching Althea, who was still at home. Apparently they were watch Sleeping Beauty together. Good.

 

You pushed the door open for Andre, who ran over to the blackboard on the wall that told the visitors to the Arctic Adventure which penguin was which and who they were mated to, who their parents were, and, if they weren't already mates with another penguin, who they were courting.

 

“Momma! Cobalt and Fireball are mates now!” Andre called to you excitedly. “Really?” You walked over to the chart to examine the newest pairs since your last visit. “Gossamer finally got Coco’s attention as well, it seems,” you mused. “And they have a-”

 

“(Y/N)! You didn't tell me they had chicks!” Thomas yelled, just as you read across the sheet that Coco’s egg had hatched a week ago.

 

“I didn't know they had new chicks,” you said honestly as you walked over to look at the penguin with Thomas.

 

“Look at it! It's so fluffy,” he said excitedly, pointing it out to you. 

 

Each penguin had a loose bracelet around one wing, loose enough not to cause any harm, but tight enough that it wouldn't fall down. The bracelets had numbers slipped on them to indicate which penguin was which. Gossamer was currently standing guard near his child.

 

You looked around for Coco and saw her swimming around in the water nearby, closer to you than her baby but still not far off. It seemed Gossamer was letting his mate have a break while he cared for their offspring himself for a bit.

 

“It's so small and fluffy,” Thomas told you, and you laughed.

 

“My, my, Mr. Jefferson. Someone has a soft spot for baby animals.”

 

“Damn right I do.”

 

You snorted with laughter and smacked him lightly with the aquarium map in your hand. “Don't swear in front of my son.”

 

Andre didn't seem to be paying attention to you, though. He was busy staring at the penguin, trying to think of the best name for the contest they were having to decide what the new penguin would be called.

 

You watched him write “SCORPIUS” in his shaky script and fold the paper twice before depositing it in the box for suggestions.

 

You stayed in this exhibit longer than the others, so Andre could read all the penguin information on the walls again and ask questions about baby (hopefully) Scorpius. He found out they wouldn't know the gender until they did a DNA test on the baby in a few months’ time when it was full grown and independent from its parents, Gossamer and Coco.

 

Andre thought about that one for a moment before nodding to the penguin keeper who had told him. “Scorpius is a good girl’s name, too.”

 

The keeper grinned to him while Thomas nodded seriously at him. “I'm surprised no one thought of it before. Your mom should have considered Scorpius.”

 

Andre’s face hardened. “Althea and Andre are way better than _Scorpius_.”

 

Thomas just sighed as Andre stalked off to read about the Falklands.

 

~(*)~

 

You stood next to Thomas, finally in the more “aquarium-like” exhibits. Andre was eyeing the jellyfish in their tank as the lights above it slowly changed colors, giving the transparent creatures the illusion of having chromatophore.

 

The lights lazily drifted from a pleasant green to a gentle shade of blue.

 

“It's beautiful in here,” Thomas said softly. Unlike the other exhibits, which had been loud and noisy, these exhibits were quiet and calm. You wondered if part of that was the low light was. It had been lit to a very dark purple, with blue lights around the room indicating the exhibits.

 

“It is,” you agreed, watching Andre stare at the mesmerizing creatures swimming lackadaisically around in the water.

 

“You know, it's nice doing these sorts of things with you.”

 

“Hmm?” You looked over at him. “What do you mean?”

 

“I don't know. It's just nice to be out here with you and Andre, doing something nice like this.”

 

You blushed, and wondered if it would show up in the dark light. You hoped not.

 

Andre came back and yanked on your hand. “I wanna go see Marina now.”

 

His voice was solemn and you nodded. Marina always made Andre sad, and usually he wanted to leave after seeing her. He never skipped it, though. You weren't sure he could. He was too attached to her to leave without visiting.

 

“Alright, honey.”

 

“Who's Marina?” Thomas asked as Andre headed off in Marina’s direction past the Shark Tunnel.

 

You just shook your head at him as Andre stooped over at the stingray pond to quickly pet one as it fluttered past his fingertips. “You'll see in a minute.”

 

~(*)~

 

You followed your son past the shark tunnel to another tank. Thomas hadn't spoken since asking his question, sensing something he didn't understand was about to take place.

 

The tank was large and, inside, was a single creature: a sea turtle. This was Marina.

 

She was injured. She'd been bitten by a shark and then hit by a boat. She'd been rescued from the ocean, but nothing could be done to fix her buoyancy problem. Because they couldn't stop her constantly being pulled to the surface of the water by her “bubble butt”, the pocket of air in her shell that dragged her upwards, Marina could never leave the facility. She relied on humans to keep her alive and well.

 

You saw a woman near the enclosure and walked over. “Excuse me. How's Marina been doing lately? My son is very attached to her and we haven't been able to come seen her in a while.”

 

The woman smiled kindly. “I understand. She's doing well. She recently had her twenty-fifth birthday. She's still pretty young, so we don't expect any health issues aside from her injuries for a long time, and she hasn't exhibited any in her annual check ups. She's showed a lot of enthusiasm at feeding time so she's happy here.”

 

“Hear that, Andre?” You called to your son, who was mumbling to Marina through the glass of her tank. “Marina’s doing just fine, just as happy as she was when we last came to visit.”

 

He'd turned his head to look at you as you spoke, and simply nodded at your statement before turning back to Marina.

 

“Thank you,” you told the woman, who smiled at you in response. You walked back to where Thomas was sitting on a small bench.

 

Neither of you said anything. You didn't really need to. You had a silent understanding.

 

~(*)~

 

“That was fun,” Thomas said as you walked back to your car. Andre hadn't wanted anything to do with the gift shop, so Thomas hadn't purchased anything for him this trip, although you suspected he had some sort of souvenir in mind that he'd give your son later. “I enjoyed it.”

 

“Yeah. I guess.” Andre kicked a bottle cap lying on the ground. It pinged across the asphalt.

 

“Well, thanks for letting me come with you and your mom, buddy,” Thomas said, bending down and holding out his hand to shake.

 

Andre looked at it, but didn't react for a moment. Seeing his hesitation, Thomas pulled back. “Sorry. You don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable. How about I just give you these instead?”

 

He pulled the three tickets out of his magenta coat’s pocket. “I thought you might want them.”

 

Andre looked at the tickets in Thomas’s hand. Finally he took them. “...Thanks.”

 

“No problem, buddy,” Thomas replied, straightening up. “Bye, (Y/N).” He kissed your cheek and headed for his car.

 

You buckled Andre in his seat and then pulled out of the parking lot. “Did you have fun, Andre?”

 

“I guess,” he mumbled. The tickets that spotted the pictures of a river otter and an octopus lay forgotten on the seat beside your son. He held the sea turtle ticket in his hand, gently running his finger across the turtle’s face. “It was nice to see Marina again.”

 

“I bet she missed you,” you told him.

 

“Mm.”

 

You stopped at a red light and looked at him through the rearview mirror. “Everything okay, honey?”

 

“Yeah. I'm fine.” He paused. “I still don't like Thomas.”


End file.
